local heroes
Share the Abundance One Organization’s Solution to Our Nation’s Food Equity Problem BY STELLA TOTINO
D
o you know what makes up the biggest percentage of our landfills? Food. And yet about forty million US citizens are food insecure. It’s a crisis, for sure. Here in LA, land of so many self-identified foodies, we seek out buzz-words like local, organic, grass-fed and sustainably-grown, but how many of us go any further than just casually checking a label? Asking ourselves hard, ethical questions about how we interact with the American food system is tough and uncomfortable, but it may also be one of the most impactful ways we can contribute to a sustainable future. As we shape the earth’s future evolution, generating an arsenal of sustainability tools is becoming less of an option and more of a necessity. Most important is that these tools aren’t about profit, but instead embrace a community-oriented mindset as we act today in preparation for tomorrow. Food Forward’s founder, Rick Nahmias, who has a journalistic background in food justice and equity, founded the 30
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organization with the help of his neighbors. It all started when he noticed the unbelievable amount of lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits left rotting at the roots of all the citrus trees throughout his neighborhood. With the very first volunteer harvest he organized, the seeds of Food Forward were planted. Today, Food Forward has three distinct branches of food recovery. The first is the continued collection of the neighborhood produce, powered by an enthusiastic volunteer community. The second is a farmers’ market recovery program where farmers donate their leftover produce at the end of a market day. As Nahmias says, it’s a win-win for all involved, and not only because of the tax deduction. The simple truth is, if farmers don’t donate, they either have to pay to dispose of their remaining yield at a dump, or haul it back to the farm. The third and final branch of Food Forward’s operation is a large-scale wholesale recovery program, called The Produce Pit Stop. The Pit Stop sources